


Coup D'état of the Corpse

by MitsubachiAria



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Despair Era (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, Human Experimentation, M/M, Nonbinary Fujisaki Chihiro, Nonbinary Kamukura Izuru, VERY not canon compliant, more characters and tags to be added, mukuro betrays junko, this is a jin kirigiri hate account
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28645308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MitsubachiAria/pseuds/MitsubachiAria
Summary: On a warm sunny day, a girl with a kind smile reached out to Mukuro. Now, that kind smile is gone forever, and it's because of her beloved twin sister. And so, Mukuro rebels before Junko can put her remaining classmates through her sick Killing Game, raising a small force to take her down. But, the question remains: how can a few Ultimate students stand up to the forces of Despair?
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Ikusaba Mukuro/Nanami Chiaki, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kamukura Izuru & Nanami Chiaki, Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is either going to be a series of smaller fics or one long fic with a bunch of sections, just warning y'all now. You know it, you love it, it's the AU I've not shut up telling my friends about for like a week straight, now in fic form! ...also I swear I'll update TSR just give me a minute.

The world divulged with a single thread unravelling in the ever-growing tapestry of fate. Which thread that was is very much up for debate, but for the sake of argument, it was when Chiaki Nanami took a wrong turn on her way to have lunch with her Reserve Course friend and ended up running into a lonely looking girl with dark hair and freckles. At least, Mukuro claimed that was the reason she told her classmates of her sister’s status as creator of the hell the world had become, and her intention to dispose of the survivors holed up in Hope’s Peak should they stay there any longer. She refused to elaborate on why that girl was the reason she was doing this, nor answer if it was the same Chiaki Nanami who went missing with the rest of her class right after the Tragedy. 

Kyoko was the first to speak up among the stunned class. “For the record, I told Jin this was a bad idea to begin with,” she said, fist clenched. It was still strange to hear her referring to her father by his first name, but she did so with all the respect of referring to gum stuck to her shoe. “All sources pointed to the Tragedy being sparked intentionally, and while he blamed the Steering Committee, I suspected it may have been a student.”

Sakura spoke next, fire burning in her eyes. “Is that why she was asking about my family? Was she going to threaten them if we tried to leave?” She demanded, glaring at Mukuro. After Mukuro flinched a bit, Sakura sat down. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be upset with you- you’re doing the right thing, after all. I can’t imagine how hard it must be, going against your own twin like this.”

“It would be much harder if she were here right now,” Mukuro admitted, looking up at the ceiling. “She probably would have killed me the second I started trying to talk to you all about this.”

“What do you mean she’s not here-?” Kiyotaka demanded, but he was cut off by Leon.

“How the hell would she kill you? You’re like… strong, and she has little noodle arms!” 

Byakuya followed Mukuro’s eyes to the ceiling, and his own widened in surprise. “Those cameras… they weren’t always there. And those strange rods in the rafters… Has she rigged the place with traps?”

Mukuro nodded. “Good eye. Were she here, she’d send spears in the ceiling raining down to impale me. As for how she’s not here… I’ll show everyone that when you’ve made an agreement with me.”

She was met with uneasy glances. A agreement? To the girl who openly admitted she’d been an accomplice in a plan to kill them all? But, amidst the distrust, Chihiro hesitantly raised their hand. “Um, Mukuro? What do you want us to agree to?”

“Look, the world’s going to shit because of these Remnants of Despair,” Mukuro said flatly. “It feels like every time I turn around there’s more of them and more destruction in their wake. The world’s not going to get any better unless we do something about them, and I certainly can’t do that alone.”

“You’re asking _us_ to stand up against- against _them_!?” Aoi asked incredulously. “We’re barely even adults, how the heck are we supposed to do that?”

Toko let out a halfhearted laugh at the situation. “You must be really desperate if you’re asking all of us for help,” she mumbled. “I mean… some of us, sure. Sakura, Mondo, Kyoko, Byakuya- they’d be good to ask. But certainly not people like me or Hifumi or Yasuhiro- er, no offense.”

“None taken, I agree, I’m a horrible person to fight evil with!” Yasuhiro half laughed. “I wouldn’t wanna count on me for this either.”

“...slight offense taken,” Hifumi muttered. “But, I understand where she’s coming from- I’m far from the platonic ideal of an apocalypse warrior. And, I wouldn’t volunteer myself anyhow!”

Mukuro glared at the crowd. “You’re chickening out? And losing your only chance at a way out of this place? Junko _will_ kill you if you stay here, make no mistake of that.”

“Oh, so you’re holding us hostage, is that it?” Mondo demanded. “Look, Soldier Lady, I don’t give a flying fuck about your sibling rivalry or whatever this is, but it’s kinda fucked up you’re forcing us to work with you or die, isn’t it?”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Mukuro assured him. “I’ll show you the way out regardless, if that’s what you want, but without me, don’t expect even the strongest among you to last even a minute out there. I am offering you all an alliance with me as an escape- my connections are the only thing that could ensure your safety.”

“So you can guarantee our safety in the outside world?” Celestia mused. “I don’t pretend to know your true intentions, but I can tell a look of desperation when I see it. You’ve given indisputable evidence that Junko is planning something, and that you are in on it, if nothing else. So, it’s simply a matter of if we believe your intentions with us are as you say they are.”

“But there’s an important factor we aren’t considering,” Sayaka mused. “As Sakura said, Junko knows the likely whereabouts and identities of many people close to us. Should we escape this school, it’s likely that she would use that against us.”

A ripple of fear ran through the room. Murmurs of hesitance. Even if they could trust Mukuro, was this too high a price to pay? 

No one expected Makoto to step forward first- he had a family he loved, and little practical skill in the areas Mukuro would need. But, he had an uncanny ability to make even the most dour situations seem a bit brighter, and to reach out to others, so everyone turned to stare at him as he approached Mukuro. 

“Mukuro, I know I’m not exactly strong or crafty or anything, but I’m more than willing to help you,” he said, extending a hand to her. “I trust you. And, even if I were to stay here, that wouldn’t ensure the safety of my parents and Komaru even still. I’m going to do my best for everyone- for my friends, and for the world, if I have to.”

A smile, ever so slight, spread across Mukuro’s face as she shook Makoto’s hand. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you,” she said before looking past him to the rest of the crowd, as if daring someone to follow him. 

To little shock, it was Kyoko who came up to stand beside the two. “I didn’t want to stay in here to rot anyhow,” Kyoko said, almost smirking. “The people outside these walls dear to me- knowing them, they’re either already long dead or hidden too well for even Junko to find.”

“Kyoko has a fair point,” Byakuya conceded, stepping up as well. “A Togami would not so easily be bested by a teenage girl and her army of goons, and that goes for me as well. I will throw my lot in with Mukuro.”

Toko scrambled up after him. “I- I’ll go with you too!” she stammered. “I- I may not be the most helpful, but it’s better than w-waiting around here t-to die. Besides, it’s not like I have much to lose…”

“I have plenty to lose,” Aoi said, fists clenched but making her way up to Mukuro’s side. “Yuta, my parents… But, I have faith in them, just like they must in me! I won’t resign myself to my fate out of fear.”

Sakura followed after Aoi said her piece. “You’re right- the people I love are strong. I have faith that they will stand tall, regardless of what that woman conspires to do to them. It is my duty to them to stand tall myself.”

Mukuro seemed pleasantly surprised by the number of volunteers, but the smile faded as no one else came up. “Is that all?”

Brows furrowed, Celestia sighed and came up to stand beside Kyoko. “Sorry, I needed to weigh my options. A skilled gambler does not rush, and this is very much a gamble. However, it seems my best odds are with your group, from how it looks at this vantage point.”

“Thank you, Celeste. So, everyone else-”

“I’m really sorry, Mukuro!” Chihiro exclaimed. Their eyes were filled with tears. “I just… I can’t bear the idea of endangering my father! I know there’s a good chance that things will go sour no matter what I do, but I know I couldn’t live with myself if I thought he’d be killed because of what I did!”

Hifumi nodded in agreement. “I agree with Chihiro- my little sister is too precious to me to endanger by attempting an escape.”

Leon looked a bit lost in thought, but just nodded as well, while Hiro sighed. “Yeah, sorry. I just can’t really see this going well for me. Might as well stay behind so at least my mom’ll be okay.”

“And I can’t put my friends in danger!” Sayaka exclaimed. “I’d like nothing more than to see them again, but I’d rather never see them again than act in a way that would seal their fates.”

“I- I cannot put my family in danger, please forgive me,” Taka reiterated, bowing towards Mukuro. “It would be shameful of me to act out of self interest here. I do not believe that your cause or the rest of you are selfish, of course, but I feel it would be selfish of me to accompany you. Besides- someone must keep order for those who remain.”

Mukuro nodded, “I can respect your decisions. However,” she turned to Mondo. “I fail to understand why you have remained silent. You would be our biggest asset, with the connections you have.”

Mondo refused to meet her eyes. It wasn’t a secret why- he wasn’t going to leave behind Chihiro, or especially Taka. “My connections are why I’m staying,” he claimed. “I have a lot of people to look out for, and dancing around in front of Miss Mastermind’s dumb face isn’t gonna do anything to help them. They’re strong, they can make it without me, but if Junko’s got the Remnants of Despair on her side, I’m not about to risk inciting a war between the Crazy Diamonds and them. I mean, have you heard what kind of shit’s on the radio? They’ve got the Kuzuryu Clan on their side, and like, an entire small country somewhere in Europe.”

Though she seemed able to see right through him, she nodded. “Of course- I understand. I won’t pressure you further. As for the others, meet me in the incinerator room once you’ve gathered your things.”

A strange meeting place, but no one questioned it. In fact, Kyoko nodded, as if it made perfect sense. After all, where there was fire, there was smoke, and that smoke had to go somewhere. Perhaps Junko knew a route following a chimney or the like. 

While most of the others went towards the dormitories to gather personal items, Kyoko instead turned towards the stairs and began heading up them. Makoto knew where she was headed instantly, and debated on whether or not to follow her. On one hand, she needed her privacy, but on the other hand- oh, well Byakuya was just going ahead and following her too, huh? Unless he was also planning to go talk to the headmaster, that definitely looked like what he was doing. So, Makoto too needed to follow, to make sure the peace was kept. 

Up the stairs, and gosh, his friends were so in shape after being in the same school for so long? Or at least Kyoko was, Byakuya probably just had an unfair advantage with his long legs. He couldn’t keep up! Maybe he should have just taken the elevator, but it was a bit too late for that. He’d just lag behind, he supposed. Maybe for the best in case so he wouldn’t really be eavesdropping, at least. Which, like, as he finally got there, it was very clear Byakuya was doing without a hint of hesitation. 

Makoto dragged Byakuya back, and while he attempted to fight him for a moment, he soon just resigned himself to Makoto’s greater upper body strength. “What are you doing?” Byakuya fervently whispered. “I’m trying to-”

“I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s none of your business,” Makoto insisted. “Kyoko’s having a rough time with her dad, and she needs to talk to him alone. I know they must have not taught you proper manners in whatever finishing school you were at before this, but seriously, just give her space.”

Byakuya bristled, but didn’t contest him. Makoto smiled a little- he knew he was the only person Byakuya would allow to talk to him like that, and sometimes he needed to hear it. “It’s okay, after she gets done we’re gonna be very supportive friends to her, okay?” 

He could hear shouting from down the hall. Very clearly, Kyoko screamed things like “glorified serial killer” and “it’s all on your hands” without giving her father much of a chance to get a word in, it seemed. Makoto cringed a bit as Byakuya tried to worm out of his grasp, which he turned into a bear hug. 

One final scream came from Kyoko- he could hear it clear as day. “I hope you rot in hell. This is as much on your hands as Enoshima’s. If not for The Kamukura Project, none of this would have happened!” The door slammed, and she stormed off, looking more emotive than he’d ever seen her. She didn’t even seem to notice Makoto and Byakuya until she was halfway down the hall, and then turned back to turn a look of pure loathing back at them. Tears were streaming down her face, that was how worked up she’d gotten. 

“Why are you here?” Kyoko demanded. Makoto made a weak little squeaking noise and let go of Byakuya, who stayed deadly silent, finally realizing he’d screwed up hard. 

“I- I was trying to stop Byakuya from eavesdropping on you!” Makoto insisted. He heard a mumbled “damned snitch” from Byakuya in response, but Kyoko just let her gaze soften and nodded. 

“I see… No, I understand why you both would have followed me. I can’t take that personally- I know my classmates well enough to know Byakuya will obtain information by any means necessary, and he knew I’d be discussing what we learned with Jin, and that Makoto would worry about me going to talk to him alone.” Kyoko had regained her calm demeanor surprisingly quickly. “If it makes any difference, I wasn’t trying to hide any information gained, I just wanted to make sure before we left, he knows exactly how I feel about his role in this situation, as I suspected he had known more than he was letting on, and was correct.”

“He knew about Junko?” Makoto exclaimed, feeling ice fill his veins. 

Kyoko shook her head. “No, but he knew for a fact the tragedy was aided by a student. He simply had the wrong culprit in mind.” She gestured for the two to follow her as she headed back downstairs, and she continued to talk as Makoto scrambled to keep up with them. 

“So, who was his suspected culprit,” Byakuya asked. “I presume Kamukura?”

Makoto waited for one of them to explain who that was, but Kyoko just nodded. “Indeed, and it is likely they have some responsibility, but they are a monster of his own creation.”

“I’m sorry, who are we talking about?” Makoto hastily interjected. “I’m not keeping up with this.”

The slightest of smirks crossed Kyoko’s face as she looked back at him, several stairs behind the other two. “Indeed. Izuru Kamukura- a human experimentation project performed by Hope’s Peak. I’ll spare you the grizzly details, but they are suspected to be among the Ultimate Despairs’ most loyal supporters, though I cannot say how accurate those rumors are. It would not surprise me, though, given that getting back at Hope’s Peak is something they’d have a vested interest in.”

“Yeah, I won’t ask for further details right now,” Makoto conceded. “Just thinking about the school performing human experiments makes my stomach hurt! And your- uh, the Headmaster knew about this?”

“Of course he did, he even helped pick out the ideal candidate,” Kyoko huffed. “Once I found out about this in full, well…”

So that’s what happened between them? Makoto had assumed Kyoko was just finally putting her foot down on her dad being neglectful, but that was… a lot to take in. “I don’t blame you at all,” Byakuya added, in a surprising display of tact. “I wish I could have done the same, sometimes.”

Makoto’s heart ached a bit. He wanted to hug his friends close, but considering he was half a staircase behind them, his attempt would probably just make all three of them tumble down. Instead, he waited until they reached the bottom to rush to hug them, tripping a bit but being caught by the group hug. “Makoto- be careful, please.”

“I just want you both to know I’m proud of you and I’m always going to support you, okay?” He got bemused looks for that, but rather misty ones. “Uh, anyways! I’ll go pack! Meet you in the incinerator room!”

He rushed off and began shoving the stuff he’d need in a duffle bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, change of clothes, the little stuffed bunny Komaru insisted he bring with him to Hope’s Peak, stuff like that. And, of course, the photo album he’d made in place of a yearbook when it became quite clear they wouldn’t get one of those. He hated leaving many of his precious friends behind, but he knew he needed to support everyone in this way, no matter what. Still, it was important to cherish the memories of them, no matter what. He looked in the bag and tried to gage if it had room for a pillow, and decided to stuff it in there regardless, leaving a half-zipped mess of a bag he stumbled through the hall with. 

He considered asking Sakura, who was a bit ahead of him, with both her own and Aoi’s bags, for help, but decided against it. This was his dumb decision to bear, overstuffing his bag! Just his luck that it just wouldn’t quite fit and make things a bit more clumsy, but that was fine! Of course, he was also the last to arrive in the incinerator room, with Byakuya and Kyoko seemingly much faster packers than himself. Again, just his luck. 

Mukuro leaned against the incinerator, scanning over everyone. “Is this all?” She asked. 

“I believe so, darling,” Celestia said with her trademark emotionless smile. She travelled a lot lighter than he’d expected her to, with only a small case that looked like the kind of makeup case Komaru had gotten for Christmas the year before all hell broke loose. “So, will you show us how to get out?”

Nodding, Mukuro opened a keypad hidden behind part of the wall, beginning to type something into it, but was interrupted by a loud shout of “wait up!” 

Leon burst into the room, a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Uh… y’all don’t have room for one more, do ya? Cause I thought it over and, yeah, I think I’d rather go with you guys. Love my family and all but like… if I’m damned either way, I’d rather not just sit around and shit.”

Makoto could see the faintest of smiles on Mukuro’s face. “Come along, then. You’ll be a lot of help.” She finished typing in the code, and something clicked. Mukuro then lifted up and tossed aside a rather large floor tile, revealing a long and dark set of stairs. She began heading down them, flashlight in hand. “Come along, now. Hopefully none of you are too scared of spiders, because I can already see three.”

His heart pounding, Makoto became the first to follow. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed a few tags since last upload- I am pretty sure this will be Naegami at this point, mostly because there's a plot element I really want to do that involves them in a couple way. Tags will continue to update as the story progresses, because there's a few characters and plot elements that I don't want to tag until they're introduced into the story as to not spoil their presence. But, I'll do my best not to hide any trigger tags! Speaking of which, minor tw for discussions of human experimentation and mass violence, because Izuru and the Tragedy get discussed, but nothing too graphic.

Stumbling down the stairs was a bit difficult for Makoto and his overstuffed bag, but he didn’t let that get him down! Well, it was getting him downstairs, but not down emotionally. As much as he worried for his dear friends back in the school, and for his family outside it, he had faith in what he was doing. He had to have faith, because without that, he’d be letting despair win. That was what he’d been telling himself this whole time, and it was working so far. 

The stairs let out to a place that looked like a laboratory of some sort, filled with various machines that he couldn’t even begin to place the purpose of, and tools that looked more like instruments of torture than anything else. “Wh-what is this place?” Makoto asked, trying to keep his eyes off of the dark stains that looked suspiciously like blood. 

“If I’m not mistaken, this was where Izuru Kamukura was ‘born,’ at least as they are today,” Kyoko posited. “Is that the case, Mukuro?”

Though he could only see the back of her head, he detected a nod from her. “Indeed, but Junko used this place for other purposes as well. For our purposes, all we need to care about is that this place links to the Reserve Course building, or what remains of it, anyhow. We’ll be able to get to the outside from there.” 

The thought of walking through a glorified graveyard made Makoto’s stomach hurt, but he gulped and tried to put those thoughts aside. This was their way out, as horrible as it may be. The corpses of those lost in the Tragedy surely wouldn’t be there anymore. 

“So Kamukura does exist?” Sakura interjected. “I had heard rumors, of course, but I doubted such a project could be real.”

“Oh, it’s real, alright,” Mukuro remarked, still moving forward past rooms lined with windows into cells outfitted with what looked like the insides of hospital rooms. “Real and very extensively documented. Junko had once hoped to use the process on herself to gain further power, but upon learning the cost to one’s self, she decided against that. I fear she may have used this information for other purposes, but she’s been refusing to share crucial information with me for some time now.”

Makoto glanced at Byakuya and Kyoko, praying one of them might elaborate a bit as to what she meant about “further power” and “cost to one’s self,” but received no such hints. Instead, Leon loudly blurred out “hey, what the eff is a Kamukura?”

“A Reserve Course student selected as an experiment to implant artificial talents into at the cost of becoming a walking corpse with no sense of themself, correct?” Sakura asked. 

“I-is that true?” Makoto blurted out. “Is that what happened with that Kamukura person? Kyoko, so th-the Headmaster was involved?”

Kyoko nodded. “He thought the pursuit of human perfection was worth the cost. I’d imagine it wasn’t to the boy he granted a fate worse than death, and the Reserve Course agreed.”

“Wasn’t that what the protests were about?” Aoi asked. “They heard that happened to one of their own and they tried to make the school pay, or something like that?”

“Wait, seriously?” Toko blurted out. “Is that what happened? I just thought it was something about them being led on that they could potentially enter the Ultimate program…”

Kyoko sighed. “He never would give me a straight answer on it- I think it had to have been a combination of things. Mukuro, perhaps you can offer insight. If Junko was involved…”

“I know she planted rumors within the Reserve Course,” she said. “My duty in her plans laid elsewhere, so she did not fully inform me of what she was doing in that regard.”

“You were very much involved, though,” Byakuya noted. “Forgive me for imposing,” he said in a way that implied he had absolutely no qualms with imposing, “but why did you suddenly have a change of heart? You claimed it involved that Nanami woman, but it seems strange to me that someone’s entire moral compass would pivot because of one person.”

Mukuro turned to look back at him, her eyes full of cold fire. “I thought you of all people would understand that, Byakuya Togami, what a difference one person can make.”

Her gaze shifted. The sensation of eyes burning into him made Makoto blush a bit. “Aww, you think I changed Byakuya for the better?” he questioned. “That’s really sweet of you!” He definitely could tell Byakuya had opened up more, but he’d hardly blame that just on himself! Kyoko and Toko and everyone else were all such good friends to him!

Byakuya just huffed. “Any changes you’ve perceived in me have been because of the changes in the world, not because of the people around me, and certainly not because of Makoto Naegi.”

“I’m only saying, he reminds me of Chiaki,” Mukuro stated. “She had the same knack for making people step out of themselves. I know her kindness did that for me, and for… others, as well.”

Had, did- those were the key words here. This Chiaki girl wasn’t around anymore, and chances are Junko was why, and that was why Mukuro had turned against her. Makoto presumed that was why no one else was pressing further- well, for most everyone, at least. Byakuya probably wasn’t because of the death glare Aoi was giving him. 

“Th-thank you for thinking so highly of me,” Makoto blurted out, eager to break the eerie silence that only worsened this place’s menacing ambiance. “S-so, um, where are we going to go once we’re out?”

“I know places she won’t think to look,” Mukuro said, continuing ahead. “Others stand against her- perhaps even people you might recognize. Koichi Kizakura is an acquaintance of yours, right, Kyoko?”

The slightest ghost of a smile appeared on Kyoko’s lips. “So he’s alive… I suspected he may have been in contact with Jin, but he refused to tell me that. Probably thought I would have been more eager to leave that place had I known there would be someone safe on the outside.”

“Kizakura… wasn’t that the admissions officer’s name or something?” Aoi questioned. 

“One of the talent scouts for Hope’s Peak, yes,” Kyoko said. “A… family friend, I suppose you could say. He’s always been kind to me. I’m thankful he made it out alright, and comfortable with allying with him.”

“Well, if Detective Lady trusts him, he’s trustworthy,” Leon exclaimed. “Still kinda up in the air about you, but, like, you’re our best bet, so I’ll not worry about the fact you helped Junko for now.”

Aoi turned a glare to Leon. “Don’t say things like that! Mukuro is helping us now! That’s what matters!”

“I am frankly shocked I am saying this, but I do think Leon is right to be hesitant,” Celestia agreed. “But, don’t take that in the wrong way, Mukuro. I’m sure you understand.”

Mukuro sighed a bit. “I understand. I wouldn’t fully trust myself in this situation either.” She came up to another keypad on the walls and punched in the password. A door slid open, a faint light coming from somewhere past it. “Regardless, this is the exit.”

Makoto attempted to follow her up first once more, but his heavy bag tripped him up. He struggled for a few steps, slowly pulling it up until finally he got the hang of it- oh, no, Sakura just picked it up behind him. He looked back with a sheepish smile. “Aha, thank you…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sakura said. “Just… perhaps next time we’re escaping a death trap, pack a bit lighter.”

“Y-yeah…” Makoto felt his face heating up. “Uh, will definitely do that. W-wait- should we leave the keypad codes somewhere in case the others need to escape later on?”

“I told Chihiro, don’t worry,” Mukuro assured Makoto. “I would have told Kiyotaka, but the passcode is something profane, and I didn’t want to scandalise him.”

Leon laughed rather loudly, echoing harshly off the small corridor. “Ha- nice one, Muks. Wait, what if Chihiro kicks the bucket?”

“I’m sure they’ll write it down somewhere secure,” Mukuro assured him. “Besides, they’re strong, I trust they’ll figure something out if need be.”

“I feel bad we kinda left them there,” Aoi said with a solemn sigh. “But, I mean, it was their choice, so there’s not much we could do. Wait- Toko, what about Syo? Does she know we’re leaving?”

“Don’t worry, she does,” Toko assured them. “She’s relieved, she never liked being cooped up in the school.”

“Oh, I’m so glad! Whenever she’s fronting next, we can finally get a donut together like I promised!” Aoi exclaimed. “...do you think they have donuts out there, anyways?”

Silence fell. It seemed not even Byakuya or Kyoko wanted to dash Aoi’s hopes. “I mean, worst case scenario, they’ll have yeast, at least, and then we can make some,” Leon piped up finally. “So totally, yeah!”

Aoi’s nod was practically audible with the cheer popping into her voice. “Right! Worst case scenario, we can make some together! It’ll be fun! Oh, but do we have time to make donuts while trying to not die?”

“We’ll make time for the finer things in life,” Celestia assured her. “It’s the end of the world, not the end of civilization! We’ll still have tea time and bake and the like.”

Kyoko’s sigh and Byakuya’s sharp exhale made Makoto think that was about to be contested, but the outside became visible before that could be discussed further. It looked like it was from a nightmare- a bright red sky, clouds as black as coal, fierce and unpleasant wind, and an acrid smell emanating from nowhere in specific. Makoto found himself coughing at the first gasp of the air of the outside world. 

Mukuro handed him a face mask. “Here, this should help until you get used to it,” she offered. “It’ll help filter out the pollutants.”

“Th-this is all caused by pollutants-?” Byakuya questioned, wheezing a bit but purposefully ignoring the mask Mukuro tried to hand him. “Where in the world did these pollutants come from? If anything, since economic activity has shut down, shouldn’t there be less air pollution?”

Kyoko took the mask instead and put it on herself. “Use your brain that you brag so much about- if she intends to spread despair, that’s hardly just going to stop at making an entire prestigious school get slaughtered in a protest. Of course she’s pumping pollutants into the air and the like.”

Byakuya was about to snap back at her, but a frightened gasp from Toko cut him off. “Wh-what is that?”

She pointed to a shadow lurking amongst the wreckage of the Reserve Course building. Barely, bright red eyes and long hair could be made out from this distance. Were they friend or foe?

Mukuro’s stance indicated the latter, as she produced a knife out of a holster hidden in her clothes somewhere. “Stand back,” she told her classmates. “Looks like Junko had someone on watch.”

The figure straightened out, coming closer. It appeared they were holding… a sword? Who would carry around something like that? “I don’t know what you want with those school children,” they almost spat at Mukuro. “But I suggest you tell me where he is before I make an example of one of them.”

“Where who is?” Mukuro asked, stepping closer, holding the knife at her side. “And I won’t allow harm to come to my classmates- if that means I have to take you out, then so be it.”

“Don’t play dumb, Ikusaba,” they demanded, the red of the sky making their glasses glow like demons’ eyes. “Whatever you did with Young Master, if I find harm has come to him, then I will make you feel his pain tenfold!”

“Did- did something happen to him?” Mukuro asked, taking a step back as the beast drew their blade. “Peko- I’m not- I’m not with her anymore, stand down-“

Peko- wasn’t that the name of one of the upperclassmen who vanished around the time of the Tragedy? The Ultimate Swordswoman- which would explain why she was coming at them with a wakizashi. “I won’t fall for your lies and excuses!” Peko practically roared.

She ran at the lot of them too quickly for anyone to react before her blade was at Byakuya’s throat. “Say, what if I took the head off this useless brat,” she almost crooned. “Maybe then you’d stop playing around?”

Byakuya’s eyes were wide with terror, and even more so when Peko got charged by four different people. Makoto was ashamed to say he was paralyzed with fear, just watching as the swordswoman was tackled to the ground by Aoi, Toko, and Leon while Sakura pulled her into a chokehold. 

All Makoto could do was scramble to help Byakuya off the ground. “It’s okay, we’ve got you,” he assured him. “Did she hurt you?” 

Byakuya put a hand at a razor-thin cut at his throat. “Not much, she didn’t draw blood. It’s fine, hardly the first assassination attempt I’ve survived,” he insisted, voice wavering all the same. 

Makoto pulled him into a hug while Peko struggled against the combined force of three of the strongest people in their class… and Toko, who was doing her best to help. “Unhand me!” She insisted. “Why are you helping one of the masterminds of this shithole of a world?”

“It seems you’re mistaken- Mukuro helped us escape,” Kyoko explained calmly. “She has turned against Junko, who it seems your issue must be with.”

The detective and swordswoman fell into what seemed to be an intense staring match before letting the sword finally fall from her hand. “Well, if you are convinced of it, there may be truth to it yet. So you heard about what happened with Chiaki as well?”

“I have the jist of it,” Mukuro said, resheathing her knife. “I don’t know what she did, or how, but I know she’s no longer herself.” 

“So she’s not dead?” Leon asked. “The way you described her made it sound like she was dead.”

“If Izuru’s observations are correct, it seems that Chiaki as you know her is dead,” Peko said, closing her eyes. “Ah- Miss Oogami, could you please release me so I may share what I know properly?”

Sakura practically dropped her. She stumbled forward a bit before leaning on some rubble. “Ah- yes, thank you. They suspect she underwent similar procedures to themself.”

A few gasps erupted from the group, including from Makoto himself, but Mukuro just sighed deeply. “I feared as much. I knew the way she was acting certainly meant her and Matsuda had done something awful to her, but I didn’t know what. So, you and Fuyuhiko left her?”

“We tried to,” Peko explained. “Izuru attempted to get as many as they could somewhere safe, but some got separated during the escape, Fuyuhiko included.”

Mukuro nodded. “I see- so who all has left, and who is unaccounted for?”

“Myself, Izuru, Kazuichi, Sonia, and Ibuki are safe,” Peko reported. “Fuyuhiko, Hiyoko, and Gundham are unaccounted for. We tried to convince a few others to escape, but they wouldn’t listen. Mikan is too loyal to Junko, Nagito thinks that he can bring about greater hope the worse the despair gets with Junko, Mahiru believes that if she turns back now, then Sato will have died for nothing- things like that.”

“In that case, if Izuru is rebelling as well, our best odds are with them rather than that thing Kizakura is doing,” Mukuro mused. “Might we be able to ally with you?”

“Hold on- what makes you think we can trust Kamukura over Kizakura?” Kyoko questioned. “This very well could be a trap, or their interests may not align with our own.”

“Fair enough,” Mukuro said, casting her a sharp glance. “From the sounds of it, if one of their allies is in the area, Izuru would be closer, correct?” 

“Indeed,” said Peko. “We’re meant to rendezvous at a safehouse not far from here once I’ve seen if I could get anything out of you regarding the whereabouts of our lost friends. If you do not find us trustworthy, Miss Kirigiri, you may proceed to do as you please.”

Kyoko shook her head. “Sometimes, one must take risks. Having a safe place to stay to stay the night rather than fending for ourselves seems a fair risk to take, just be on guard.”

Celestia put a hand on her shoulder. “I told you you’d make an excellent gambler, didn’t I?” she practically trilled. “And I too would bet on Miss Peko here being genuine, considering the intensity of emotion she displayed.”

“I trust her too!” Makoto chirped. “I don’t think someone would lie about someone important to them like that.”

Byakuya weakly laughed. “You’re too naive as always, Makoto Naegi, but in this case, I agree with Celestia- her intensity betrays the truth of her emotions. She did attempt to decapitate me, after all- that certainly did not feel like a bluff.”

“No other dissents?” Peko asked. No one piped up, so she nodded. “In that case, I’ll lead you to Izuru. We can assess from there.” She picked up her blade once more and beckoned the others to follow her into the ruins of the city. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, please let me know how I do with Toko's DID! I want to write it respectfully and realistically (unlike canon) but since I don't have DID, I'm not entirely certain how some things work, but I felt it was better to include it than exclude it because I don't want to contribute in any erasure. I've done research the best I can, but I'm sure there will be things I miss, so please let me know if I get things wrong so I can fix them!


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